Some Seeing Eye, Ill tell him way in advance to excuse my ravings about the event.....lol. I'm sure he'll regret missing it. Although he says he doesn't want to go, I'm sure he does. I think hes more concerned about his health. He has epilepsy which prevents him from taking part in activities where he will sweat a lot. The few times he profusely sweated or urinated, the blood levels of his medication drastically dropped and he had several grandmal seizures in a row. As most of you know, if he seizes for too long he could go brain dead and die. He had a really bad fit this past month that ended him up in the hospital for a few days. I think hes scared of dying. I know, TMI, but there's a reason for everything and I respect his decision. Ive known him for 19 yrs.

Anyway, I think I'll rent a car. There's too many what ifs for me. Plus I like the freedom a car brings. I will get a bike rack for the back or buy a folding bike.

I heard the Tri Awning withstood 50-60 mph winds, but I'm quite sure its windier than that at the Playa. One of its reviewers said its higher quality than the Kelty Tri Awning, and it held up better in the wind too. By adding the sides walls, the structure will provide more shade from the sun, but it will also make it into a sail. I'll try to park it between some RVs to cut down on the direct wind. The only downside of the product is the color. I wish it were silver or white to reflect the sun. Anyway,it was worth a try, nothing is set in stone as of yet. If I decide to make the monkey hut, I'll make the joints at home and buy the poles when I get to Reno. By doing it that way, I would've cut down on time wasted creating it. I was also wondering if the poles were cut down to 5' instead of 10' Is it just as stable?. What should the minimum pole diameter be? I had a hard time bending the 1" pipe, so I know erecting it on the Playa by myself would be a hassle and a half. I like creating things from scratch, but unfortunately my time constraints will limit what I will construct. I forgot to tell all of you that I know about the NY Container, and that I might utilize it. Its ~7 dollars a cubic foot.

I know a lot of things about this event, but I'm sure what I know will be thrown out the window when I get there. Murphy's Law always prevails! The only way to truly know what its like is to experience it first hand. That's why I decided to fly in early to prepare for the trip. I'm also leaving the playa early to meet my deadline. If something prevents me from leaving on Thursday, my trip protection will get me out of there by Friday the latest. Either way, I'm making it out on time. I have plans A B and C. You can never be too prepared. if all else fails I have my friends who will be there and I can always stay till Monday ooooh well.

Keep away from small people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. - Mark Twain

Cruises are incredibly boring. You'll really, really wish you didn't have to leave.

On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of excitement:1 - waiting in line at DMV3 - bumming around on a cruise ship or being shuttled to some random manufactured tourist experience9 - Burning Man10 - while skydiving into an active volcano, you're abducted by hot aliens of your sexual preference, given immortality, and your own spaceship

Also, getting on and off playa in a timely manner is difficult. You need to be prepared for the possibility that you won't get out in time to make your cruise. Car trouble is usually the big one there. You can't leave the car there, and you will have problems finding anyone else leaving Thursday. It also takes longer than you think to pack up all your stuff and search for MOOP while tired, hot, and dehydrated.

You may also have problems finding a rental company that will give you car to take to Burning Man. Many will ask you up front, some have it in the contract and they can use GPS to track your car and repossess it if you lied and went anyway. The absolute minimum is that you will be expected to return the car in a reasonable condition...it will NOT be such when rolling off the playa. You have about three or four hours of work to get the car clean enough, inside and out, to avoid massive charges from the rental agency. That'll be a problem if you have no place or time to undertake such an endeavor.

Finally, decompressing from Burning Man is a real thing. You'll be a stone-faced, fumbly zombie on the cruise ship and your partner will be pissed off at you anyway.

Maladroit, Good point, but my money is already locked in. I go on cruises every year, but this one is my dream cruise, so I doubt Ill be stone faced. But I do understand what you mean about decompression, Its a serious thing. It takes some time to readjust to society. But since it is what it is, Ill try to make the best of it. I live by the moment because 2 yrs ago I thought I'd be dead today. But I'm alive, so yeah I try to live my life to its fullest while I still have breath in lungs. I guess people don't realize the importance of immediacy until they're staring death in the face. We are not promised next year or even tomorrow. You have to make each moment count.

Keep away from small people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. - Mark Twain

NikkiG wrote:Some Seeing Eye, Ill tell him way in advance to excuse my ravings about the event.....lol. I'm sure he'll regret missing it. Although he says he doesn't want to go, I'm sure he does. I think hes more concerned about his health. He has epilepsy which prevents him from taking part in activities where he will sweat a lot. The few times he profusely sweated or urinated, the blood levels of his medication drastically dropped and he had several grandmal seizures in a row. As most of you know, if he seizes for too long he could go brain dead and die. He had a really bad fit this past month that ended him up in the hospital for a few days. I think hes scared of dying. I know, TMI, but there's a reason for everything and I respect his decision. Ive known him for 19 yrs.

Anyway, I think I'll rent a car. There's too many what ifs for me. Plus I like the freedom a car brings. I will get a bike rack for the back or buy a folding bike.

I heard the Tri Awning withstood 50-60 mph winds, but I'm quite sure its windier than that at the Playa. One of its reviewers said its higher quality than the Kelty Tri Awning, and it held up better in the wind too. By adding the sides walls, the structure will provide more shade from the sun, but it will also make it into a sail. I'll try to park it between some RVs to cut down on the direct wind. The only downside of the product is the color. I wish it were silver or white to reflect the sun. Anyway,it was worth a try, nothing is set in stone as of yet. If I decide to make the monkey hut, I'll make the joints at home and buy the poles when I get to Reno. By doing it that way, I would've cut down on time wasted creating it. I was also wondering if the poles were cut down to 5' instead of 10' Is it just as stable?. What should the minimum pole diameter be? I had a hard time bending the 1" pipe, so I know erecting it on the Playa by myself would be a hassle and a half. I like creating things from scratch, but unfortunately my time constraints will limit what I will construct. I forgot to tell all of you that I know about the NY Container, and that I might utilize it. Its ~7 dollars a cubic foot.

I know a lot of things about this event, but I'm sure what I know will be thrown out the window when I get there. Murphy's Law always prevails! The only way to truly know what its like is to experience it first hand. That's why I decided to fly in early to prepare for the trip. I'm also leaving the playa early to meet my deadline. If something prevents me from leaving on Thursday, my trip protection will get me out of there by Friday the latest. Either way, I'm making it out on time. I have plans A B and C. You can never be too prepared. if all else fails I have my friends who will be there and I can always stay till Monday ooooh well.

I cut the poles down to 5 foot sections and used 2 foot sleeves that were a quarter inch larger in diameter to connect the sections. You don't want to go smaller than the 1inch diameter bc it can break, and definitely use schedule 40 pvc. I put this up completely by myself, and I am a woman of average size and strength. The pvc doesn't like to bend, but that tension is what makes the monkey hut work, and I'm SURE you'll be strong enough to bend it, the toughest part is pounding in the rebar.

NikkiG wrote:Maladroit, Good point, but my money is already locked in. I go on cruises every year, but this one is my dream cruise, so I doubt Ill be stone faced. But I do understand what you mean about decompression, Its a serious thing. It takes some time to readjust to society. But since it is what it is, Ill try to make the best of it. I live by the moment because 2 yrs ago I thought I'd be dead today. But I'm alive, so yeah I try to live my life to its fullest while I still have breath in lungs. I guess people don't realize the importance of immediacy until they're staring death in the face. We are not promised next year or even tomorrow. You have to make each moment count.

Maybe you should do the opposite: sell the Burning Man ticket, and then do it right some other time. After all, you'll be spoiling both trips now.

Also, "living in the moment" has really nothing to do with this. This is more about dividing your time between two things, and doing one or more poorly. It's like going on a trip to the Moon, and then cutting it short before you land so you can go to some shit-hole like Las Vegas or something.

I also find it quite ironic to believe in living up life in the moment, and then being stuck on the prison that is a cruise ship. But I guess to each his own.

"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens

I'd never count on a Yellow Bike (green; heh) being available when I needed it--never. Nor would I allow the lack of a bike to keep me home, however. I don't ride mine every day, but it's very, very useful and very freeing. It would probably have taken me 40 minutes to walk to the ePlaya Meet & Greet last year from 8:05 and E. The city is huge.

You might have picked up on this, but leaving Burning Man early for a cruise truly sounds like the 9th Circle of Hell to a lot of us, and there's just no getting around that, which is why there is some reluctance to make a quicker visit extra easy on you. The amount of time you spend on the playa really does account for some of the effect it can have.

The early part of the week is pretty great, though. Good luck.

*** 2017 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

BBadger wrote:Also, "living in the moment" has really nothing to do with this. This is more about dividing your time between two things, and doing one or more poorly. It's like going on a trip to the Moon, and then cutting it short before you land so you can go to some shit-hole like Las Vegas or something.

These comparisons are fun. How about...cutting short a gourmet 10 course meal to go meet your friend at McDonalds for some chicken nuggets.

Savannah wrote:The amount of time you spend on the playa really does account for some of the effect it can have..

Maybe the artificial luxury of the cruise ship would have a galvanizing effect on the Burning Man experience. As surreal as the playa is, the interactions and experiences are exquisitely genuine. No one is making you a drink because you are paying them. They're doing it because they want to. The magical ramen cart isn't an underpaid Philippine steward, but a dude who just wants to make you happy.

There aren't fake smiles and and hands out for a tip. No ulterior motives or nagging sense of the inequality of it all.

I like my luxury as much as anybody, possibly more. Going from one to the other will be interesting. OP, if you manage to make it happen, report back and let us know what it was like.

Well, it has been an interesting read. My 2 cents? I would think a burgin would not get anything from coming in for the first 2-3 days, other than to take some photos and "observe". I am a firm believer that the Playa is a cumulative experience, as each day passes, it builds on the days as they pass. Friday could not be Friday without first a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The days are in order for a reason, total immersion. Thinking back on entry and exodus, I would be a freaking mess if I had any schedule to try to keep. Sort of like a El Camino vehicle, it is a car, and it is a truck, but it does neither very well. BM and a cruise? Within days of each other? Nah. Do one, or do the other. I try very hard to get every last minute on Playa that I can.

Dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them’s making a poop, the other one’s carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge? " I am a controlled substance". Savannah.

It took me awhile to respond because I felt like I was being persecuted. I totally understand what all of you are saying, and I GET IT. I appreciate the words of wisdom you have given me, and I understand that they come from a place of love , But I'm consciously choosing to do both. I made my decision and I am satisfied with it. Please accept my decision. I am not new to transformation, Ive been transforming for the past 14 months and Ive made huge leaps and bounds. I am now able to see life and people for who and what they are. The good and the bad are both amazing to me and I am able to grow from the experiences. I guess its all about the context in which we view things. There's the crap and there's the cone. I choose the Cone. Thank you for being you

[media]

Burning man doesn't last a week, it lasts a life time. I hope that all of you were able to bring your experiences into the outside world and live it everyday. I know will. I'm going to be Playa fairy sprinkling playa dust everywhere.....lol

Keep away from small people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. - Mark Twain

BBadger wrote:Also, "living in the moment" has really nothing to do with this. This is more about dividing your time between two things, and doing one or more poorly. It's like going on a trip to the Moon, and then cutting it short before you land so you can go to some shit-hole like Las Vegas or something.

These comparisons are fun. How about...cutting short a gourmet 10 course meal to go meet your friend at McDonalds for some chicken nuggets.

But Maladroit, those formed chicken masses were already paid for!

"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens

Hiya NikiG, Your Tri Shade will be fine, IF you use it in conjunction with your Rental car acting as a combination wind and sun block. The key is positioning your car so it's on an EAST WEST axis and erecting the Tri shade on the NORTH side of the vehicle. (the winds generally come from the S & SE) The sun runs a Southerly arc so the car will cast a shadow coupled with your Tri shade. I'd suggest using the 10in nail style tent stakes to anchor the shade to the ground and para cord to tie the shade to the vehicle

Oh yeah, and I don't think leaving the BURN early, is a big deal! I did it a couple of years ago ..... left the city just as they started to burn the man.....but I will temper that decision with the fact that I had such a great time earlier in the week, that I really had no regrets in bailing early.

NikkiG wrote:It took me awhile to respond because I felt like I was being persecuted. I totally understand what all of you are saying, and I GET IT. I appreciate the words of wisdom you have given me, and I understand that they come from a place of love , But I'm consciously choosing to do both. I made my decision and I am satisfied with it. Please accept my decision. I am not new to transformation, Ive been transforming for the past 14 months and Ive made huge leaps and bounds. I am now able to see life and people for who and what they are. The good and the bad are both amazing to me and I am able to grow from the experiences. I guess its all about the context in which we view things. There's the crap and there's the cone. I choose the Cone. Thank you for being you

[media]

Burning man doesn't last a week, it lasts a life time. I hope that all of you were able to bring your experiences into the outside world and live it everyday. I know will. I'm going to be Playa fairy sprinkling playa dust everywhere.....lol